Conventionally, several electric devices are mounted on a Hybrid Vehicle (HV), Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). For example, in a vehicle including a dynamo-electric machine mounted on it, the dynamo-electric machine is connected with electric devices such as inverters via a cable, such as a wire. The cable, such as a wire, is generally connected to the electric devices by a connector. Specifically, a cable and an electric device have their respective connectors having a geometry that allows them to be fitted into each other. Each connector works as a male or female connector and has a contact for establishing electrical connection. By fitting a male connector into a female connector, their contacts are thus joined together to be electrically connected. The male connector can be fitted into the female connector by applying a force not smaller than a predetermined amount. Fitting of such connectors may be performed by clamping of bolts, for example. The following publications disclose techniques for connector fitting by clamping of bolts.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-75557 discloses a shield connector that allows a shield wire to extend in a direction parallel to a shield wall of the other part and that can be made smaller. The shield connector has a housing covering a terminal of the shield wire, which housing accommodates the base end of a metal terminal crimped onto the conductor of the shield wire. The shield connector is attached to a through hole formed in the shield wall of the other part. The shield layer of the shield wire is then conductively connected to the shield wall of the other part and the tip end of the metal terminal is held projecting into the shield wall of the other part. The metal terminal of the shield connector is as a whole L-shaped, where a flat portion continuing from the crimping portion of the conductor is bent. Then, the portion of the metal terminal from the base end to a position near the tip end is covered by an insulating member. A shield member is provided in the housing that covers the insulating member covering the metal terminal. One end of the shield member continues to or is conductively connected to the shield layer of the shield wire. The other end is disposed on the portion of the housing which abuts to the shield wall of the other part.
In the case of the shield connector disclosed in the above publication, at one end of the housing, the metal terminal crimped onto the conductor of the shield wire projects into the shield wall when the housing of the shield connector is attached to the shield wall of the other part. At the other end of the housing, the shield wire extends parallel to the shield wall of the other part. The metal terminal is L-shaped where the flat portion extending from the crimp portion is bent at right angles, where the flat portion may be bent at a radius smaller than that for the shield wire. Consequently, the bent portion and thus the entire shield connector may be made smaller.
To improve the operability, a connector's insertion load may be reduced, for example, by using a levered connector in which a lever is provided on the male connector and an arm is formed on the female connector. When the male connector is fit into the female connector, the lever is hooked into the arm to provide a reduction in insertion load. The following publication discloses a technique of a levered connector.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-106018 discloses a levered connector that prevents a lever from slipping out of a connector housing with a simple structure. This levered connector has a U-shaped lever rotatable on a connector housing of one of the connectors coupled to each other, the lever straddling the connector housing. The other's connector housing is provided with a cam receiver engaging with a cam formed on the lever, and the lever is reciprocally rotated to displace the cam receiver, thereby coupling and decoupling the connectors. The levered connector has a lever support shaft projecting from either one connector housing or the lever as well as a shaft receiving hole on the other into which the lever support shaft is fitted. One of the lever support shaft and the shaft receiving hole has a radially projecting slippage stop. The other is provided with an engagement surface that engages with the slippage stop during the reciprocal rotation of the lever, the engagement surface having a portion radially notched and allowing the slippage stop to be inserted and removed in a decoupling position of the lever.
In the levered connector disclosed in the above publication, the lever is positioned in a decoupling position of the connectors to attach the lever to the connector housing. Then, the slippage stop formed on one of the lever support shaft and the shaft receiving hole is inserted into the notch on the engagement surface of the other. To operate the lever to couple the connectors, the lever is rotated from its decoupling position to the coupling position. Accordingly, the lever is bent due to the operation force for the insertion load acting upon the lever as the connectors are coupled. Thus, the slippage stop engages with the engagement surface to prevent the lever support shaft from being removed from the shaft receiving hole even when a force acts in a direction that would cause the lever support shaft to be removed from the shaft receiving hole.
However, when a dynamo-electric machine is mounted on an HV of Front engine Rear drive (FR), for example, the dynamo-electric machine needs to be mounted in a center tunnel of a vehicle that has a small mounting space. The operability in coupling connectors is low when a cable is connected to a dynamo-electric machine after the machine is mounted in the center tunnel by fitting connectors to each other by clamping of bolts, for example, as in a shield connector disclosed in the above publication.
To mount a dynamo-electric machine on a large HV of FR, requirements for the dynamo-electric machine are high and the dynamo-electric machine itself is large, and thus overhanging of connectors and the like from the dynamo-electric machine needs to be minimized. Specifically, for larger dynamo-electric machines, the connectors need to have larger terminals to resist higher voltages. Thus, the insertion load of the connectors is very high, and a mechanism for reducing the insertion load such as a levered connector as disclosed in the above publication would result in a very large connector. Accordingly, the connectors and the like overhang from the housing of the dynamo-electric machine, requiring the larger mounting space.